Tag: feels

Take This: 2 VIP Tickets & VIP Swag Bag For Dirty Penni Fest 3 At The Echo & Echoplex

Janky Smooth Central Command May 14, 2018

Dirty Laundry TV and Penniback records are joining forces once again to bring you the gnarliest, dirtiest, most insanely fun festival this side of Sunset Blvd, that’s right boys and girls, Dirty Penni Fest is back with its 3rd installment on July 1st and it’s taking over the Echo and the Echoplex again for you animals to crawl up and down between sets. related content: Dirty Penni Fest: A Rock And Roll Romper For Young And Old This year’s lineup hosts none other than LA noise rock hooligans No Age, surf punk trio Sad Girl, Oakland’s own Mt. Eddy, kings of LA psyche rock Frankie And The Witch Fingers, garage rock from the future: Feels, and much, much more including a special guest >_>. Underground legends get made at Dirty Penni Fest, so here’s your chance. Janky Smooth, Penniback Records, and Dirty Laundry TV are giving away 2 VIP tickets to Dirty Penni Fest 3 and a VIP swag bag that includes shirts, CD’s and cassettes to one winner. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP TICKETS AND SWAG BAG FOR DIRTY PENNI FEST 3 July 1st 2018, The Echo + Echoplex Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up everytime

Quintron & Miss Pussycat Break From The Traditional At Ebell Club

Jonathan Reyes July 8, 2017

Driving up to Highland Park from Long Beach, the first thing I noticed was that all-day parking was only 2 bucks. Scored points for that but lost the game when I had to park next to a guy who’s car was covered in foil and hubcaps. I hate guys like that, who’s whole personality is tied to their car. It’s like he put anything interesting about him on his car and now we have to pretend it’s nice. Walking up to The Highland Park Ebell Club, I saw old friends and now friendly competition, Cool Tite‘s Sergio and Crystal. Shout out to them. Also spotted Vice Cooler, who if you don’t know, you’re fucking up majorly because he’s so fucking original and talented, I once saw him ride a guitar on stage. I caught Feels and I’m always like why don’t I watch them more often. They never disappoint and they also remind me of like Making The Band because they all seem different from each other but also really good friends. related content: New Album Review: 1 Week With Feels Debut LP From Castle Face Records Two years ago I saw Quintron for the first time performing with his

My 1st Show at The Echo With Old Pals & New: Surfbort & Feels

Jesse Fox March 18, 2017

As a photographer who primarily lives and works in the midwest, covering a show at The Echo was a bit of a check-off from my unofficial venue bucket list. Living in Ohio, you’re oftentimes passed over on tours (shocking, right?) So, upon finding out that not only would I be able to see my friends in Surfbort, but that I’d finally be able catch Feels all in one place, it made covering this show a highlight of my recent trip to Los Angeles. The difference in vibe in the lineup might be part of the reason that every other band that played, including headliners, The Molochs fell a little flat for me. Sorry guys. related content: Spending the Week w/ Feels Debut Album from Castle Face Records Surfbort: Innocent Punkers or Deranged Occultists? Brooklyn based four-piece Surfbort kicked off the night and the first show of their west coast tour. Despite being jet-lagged, singer Dani Miller’s energy was contagious as she interacted with both the crowd and her bandmates. Erratic dance moves and a giant smiley face mixed with her yelling and at times, laughing vocals, had me wondering if she was an innocent little punk just havin’ a little

Bleached Bring Catchy Hooks, 818 Pride & Friends to Teragram Ballroom

Danny Baraz May 8, 2016

There are certain taboos in modern day, independent music journalism which you don’t breach, for any reason, lest you be nailed to the cross of insignificance. You don’t speak ill of Ty Segall, John Dwyer or Mac DeMarco, never say anything negative of Low End Theory and never play cards with a guy who’s named after a city. Then again, if classic day journalists from Rolling Stone were able to trash Black Sabbath and Zeppelin and continue to increase their circulation despite saying Jimmy Page was “a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs.” I have very little fear of being judged for “getting it wrong” and most of the time, I’m willing to go out on a limb if I believe in what I’m saying. I think I was the only person who reviewed Tame Impala’s “Currents” that didn’t put Kevin Parker’s musical pee pee in my mouth. And now that I’ve had more time with that album, I stand by every statement, even though 3 or 4 songs on that album have grown on me since the time I reviewed it. That being said, saying that I’ve always thought the band Bleached and their live

L.A. Hustle at SXSW 2016: Bands, Labels, Promoters & Publications

Danny Baraz March 23, 2016

Artists, agents, publicists and partiers come from far and wide to take part in one of the largest music and networking events in the world. Fans attending SXSW in Austin ,Texas view it as a diverse display of music in which they can recreationally party and enjoy bands they love and bands they discover throughout the week long musical portion of the conference. The aforementioned groups of art producers and opportunists view the conference much differently than the fans or even the way they themselves typically view playing a regular show or festival. With a somewhat intimate knowledge of the bands in Southern California and their proxies, it was fascinating to watch it all unfold in front of me. From Burger Records to Lolipop Records, iHeartcomix to Desert Daze, the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area musicians and business’ were very well represented at SXSW 2016. Janky Smooth was proud to see the members of our scene thriving in such a competitive environment and of course, to make our own stamp on the events surrounding the conference in our very first SXSW experience as a publication. On the band side, there were L.A. bands like one of our low

FEELS record release party at Basic Flowers

New Album Review: 1 Week With FEELS Debut LP from Castle Face Records

Danny Baraz March 1, 2016

Last Wednesday night I got an advanced copy of FEELS self titled LP from Castle Face Records. Last Thursday night I went to the FEELS record release party at a Downtown DIY venue called Basic Flowers. I hate the unfairness of reviewing a living, breathing work of art in one or two listens. That will not be the case here. FEELS hard work and countless shows and supporting slots on various tours in 2015 ingrained them in the rock and roll ecosystem in Los Angeles and in my head. So when I heard rumblings of a forthcoming full length, I was ready when it dropped in my lap. In rock and roll, the live show separates the bad bands from the good bands and the great bands from the rest. FEELS puts on a GREAT live show and now I can confirm that FEELS makes GREAT albums. Well, at least one so far. I have spent enough time with the new FEELS record now to know that the love is real. I’ve gotten past the butterfly stage in this relationship and gotten completely comfortable with the material and it’s depth. This album is a master blend of growing musicianship and

The Coathangers at Riot Fest Chicago 2015

The Coathangers and Birth Defects End Tour in Southern California

Danny Baraz September 25, 2015

The first time I saw The Coathangers was at Burgerama in March. Some bands just stand out and you know when you see them for the first time, that you’ll be seeing a lot more of them. Thursday night at Los Globos was the second to last stop on the current leg of their tour with the Birth Defects. L.A. promoter, Blundertown added Feels to the bill. All three bands were in prime form. I was able to catch up with The Coathangers at Riot Fest in Chicago. They were the first band that played on Day 1 and we spoke to Crook Kid and Minnie Coathanger just after their set. I got a little tongue tied and at the time, I blamed it on the lack of notes and not enough preparation but after saying hello to them just before their set last night, I realized that I get a little tongue tied around bad ass women who can play the fuck out of their instruments and write kick ass songs. I tried to relay some information and ended up coming off like a total dick!!! It’s true. I’m a male groupie but since I don’t put out so I’m

Desert Daze Video Recap- Dazed in the Daylight/Evening Shade

Danny Baraz June 4, 2015

Janky Smooth presents a video collage from the Desert Daze Festival this past May. This two part series let’s the music and imagery speak for itself. Shot and edited by Travis Moore. Part 1, Dazed in the Daylight features the music of Kim and the Created and beautifully captures the sights and sounds of the day time hours of Desert Daze in the unrelenting Desert sun. Along with KATC, Part 1 features footage of White Lung, Plague Vendor, Wyatt Blair and Feels. Part 2, Evening Shade features the music of DIIV and captures the relief and freedom from the punishing solar onslaught of the cruel desert daylight. Along with DIIV, Travis captured footage of Warpaint, Deap Vally, Chelsea Wolfe and Mr Elevator and the Brain Hotel. Check out our complete review of Desert Daze 2015 Desert Daze 2015: Festival for the 21st Century Check out our intimate interview with the founders of Desert Daze/Moon Block and the founders of the bands Deap Vally and JJUUJJUU Janky Smooth Sessions: Deap Vally and Moon Block Family Photo gallery shot by Taylor Wong

Ty Segall at The Smell shot by Julien Kelly

Ty Segall Unplugged at the Smell

Danny Baraz May 9, 2015

The sky was illuminated by a brilliant flash of light followed by a loud and ominous rumble. The rain was coming down on me as I walked down the alley behind Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles approaching The Smell. As I got closer to the entrance, I saw Jason Finnazo of The Birth Defects nervously smoking a cigarette in the rain. He had been the opening act of the evening in which the band Feels and Ty Segall were trading in their face melters for acoustic guitars. “Did you feel naked up there?” I asked him as he took a deep pull off of his smoke. “Yeah, everytime I do this, I always say that I’ll never do it again”. He proceeded to go through the inventory of issues he had and I kept thinking how musicians were like chef’s- always pointing out where the meal was too salty and never giving any credit to the deliciousness of their creation. I was bummed I missed his set because I love The Birth Defects and one thing that is hard to imagine is The Birth Defects unplugged. It’s exhilarating when artists go out on a limb. I did make it

Desert Daze 2015: The Festival for the 21st Century

Danny Baraz May 5, 2015

It was 4:30am on Saturday morning. I pulled the Janky Smooth RV into a dusty parking lot. I had been driving this carbon spewing behemoth since 1am, after the hour it took to load it up with instruments, sound equipment and beer- The essentials that would push me through a crazy 36 hours in the Mojave Desert for Desert Daze 2015. There were hints of blue shading the dark desert sky at the edge of the horizon that peaked over some sleepy mountains. A sense of dread washed over me at the sight of this beautiful event. It meant I only had a few hours to get a little bit of sleep before setting up the DNA Vapor sponsored, Janky Smooth Jam Lounge in preparation for our open jam after party. I knew I shouldn’t have taken that dab before loading up all that gear. After being led to our lakeside cabana by a sleepy eyed angel named Art, it became clear that we were the first ones to plant our flag in this particular patch of land. By the time I woke up a few hours later, the deserted road I parked our camper on was swarming with

King Tuff and fam- Burger-raucous at the Constellation room

Danny Baraz January 9, 2015

The Observatory has become a sanctuary for Orange County’s Burger youth, being the proud host of almost every artist to grace the Burger Records label. It’s Constellation Room offers the musty, humid, sardine can ambiance synonymous with garage punk, making it the perfect place to catch a lineup like King Tuff, White Fang and Feels. As expected, the room was packed before Feels had a chance to open the bill. A sweaty mix of septum piercings, Doc Martins and kids straight off the Zephyr skate team invaded the dance floor as the walls were lined with the older crowd. I was especially excited to see Feels. They’ve changed a lot over the last year, altering everything from their name and lineup to their sound and it has been for the better, on all counts. They’ve figured out a way to be melodic yet rough as well as musically talented but raw. Laena’s voice is downright beautiful and she performs with so much elegance. She has a Bowie-esque grace on stage which she is able to compliment with some pretty filthy guitar work. When her and guitarist Shannon Lay trade off vocals during songs expect goosebumps. The new addition to the

Corners puts Cosmonauts To Test As Headliner at Part Time Punks at The Echo

Danny Baraz December 15, 2014

It’s amazing how many young people are picking up instruments and starting bands these days. What’s more amazing is that the attraction to do so seems to be motivated by the purest of intentions. There is less hope than ever to reach the heights of rock stardom achieved by every American generation since Elvis because of the relatively recent collapse of the music industry- When most young people at the time thought Metallica was out of touch in their fight with Napster, it appears they had a clear vision of what the future held. Bands work harder for less money. Album sales have been replaced by marathon touring schedules. Mega bands are asked to play the Superbowl for free. The tallest heights are measured by landing a single in a national commercial. Music has been devalued by a society that’s not quite sure how to make money off it anymore. While the internet is the greatest technology ever created to reach people all across the world, sell your product, book a tour and promote it, there are so many shiny objects distracting us all that the very ADD nature of it seems to have shortened the careers of many young